Innersole.



No.8 73,775. PATENTED DEO.1'7,1907.

- B. NATHAN.

IN NERSOLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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In ventor:

f g y PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

B. NATHAN.

INNERSOLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.27,1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENJAMIN NATH AN', OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INN'EBSOLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed November 27.1906. Serial No. 289.188.

adaptation of the parts as will be more fully hereinafter pointe out.

It frequently happens that a person has a foot of such shape that itdoes not accurately fit within a shoe of standard form and in order toinsure the greatest amount of comfort to the wearer, the sole of theshoe should be built up or depressed at certain places.

.' It also happens with almost every wearer of' cloth, or rubber.

shoes that there exists a tendency to turn certain portions of the footin or out of the proper line in walking and the result is that the soleof the shoe receives greater wear at some places than at others.

The present invention aims to provide a means which will correct suchtendencies to incorrect walking, and which is readily adaptable to thevarious needs or peculiarities of individuals. This object, and otherswhich will hereinafter appear, areaccom plished by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawing, which represents what is atpresent regarded as the best embodiment of the several importantfeaturesof the present invention.

In such-drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of an inner sole embodyingmy several improvements, indicating in dotted lines the positionsofinserts or filling members. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is an edge 'view thereof. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on theplane of the line 44 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on theplane of the line 5-5 in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a similar section on theplane of the line 6 -6 in Fig. 1. Figs. 7,8 and 9 are erspective viewsof the inserts or filling mem ers shown in the other figures and Fig. 10is'a vertical 4 central section through a low cut shoe inside of whichone of my improved inner soles has been placed.

The inner sole, in the form herein illustrated, comprises an upper layer10 and a lower layer 30, each of which is made of some suitable softfabric, as thin leather,

In the form which I prefilling members or inserts, and by -those personswhose walk is normal or prgper.

fer, the lower layer is made of thin leather,

and the upper layer is made of two superimposed materials, one (as 11)of soft elastic character, for example sponge rubber, and the u permost12 of soft, smooth character, as ki or paper. The lower layer 20 and theintermediate layer 11, in the form herein shown, are stitched together.The stitching is arranged to provide between them a series of separatedpockets (as 40, and 60) having open marginal edges, adapted to receiveremovable inserts o'r filling members 41, -12 and 43, as hereinaftermore particularly described, whereby the insole may be built up at oneor more places to give to the foot sup- .port at a place or places whichthe peculiarity of the individual wearer may make necessary in order tocorrect a tendency to improper walk and prevent unequal wear on thesides of the sole or heel. Attention however is here called to the factthat the relation of the parts in the form herein shown is such that thelayers lie smoothly one upon the other when said inserts or fillingmembers are omitted or removed, and the insole is, therefore, adapted tobe Worn with comfort, without an insert or filling member, by one whoseneeds do not call for such insert or filling.

member. By providing said j insole with open pockets adapted to receiveremovable so arranging said pockets that an insert may be placed at anyone or more of the places which the different peculiarities of differentindividuals make necessary, the range of usefulness of the device iswidely extended,.and in fact, it may be made to answer every re uirementof all individuals, those whose wa k is such' that unless corrected theyrun down the heel, or one side of the sole more than another, withoutrestriction as to which sixtie the extra Wear may'be on, as well asltoMoreover, the adjustmentto the'nee ,s of an individual user, may beinstanta made by any person, requiring no skill for the purpose.

- Upon reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the pocket 40 isarranged at the ball of the foot portion of the insole, and is producedby securing the layers together by lines of stitches 30' and 31 whichcon.- verge toward each other from opposite sides of the insole, and bylines of stitches 32 and 32 which converge similarly toward eachotherfrom opposite sides of the insole.

' usly tools or The relation of these stitches, therefore, is such as toprovide a pocket which narrows from each marginal edge-of the insoletoward the longitudinalcenter of the insole. Thus,

in effect, two, or a pair of wedge-shaped pockets 4O areformed, eachopen along a contiguous marginal edge of the insole, whereby acorrespondingly wedge-shaped insert or filling member, as 41, may beinserted thereinto from either side of the insole and will be properlyheld in position by the side walls of the pocket. L

The pocket 50 is arran ed under the instep and is similarly boiin ed atone end by rows of stitches 33 and 34 which converge toward each otherfrom the open mar inal edges of the insole; and at the other en bysimilar converging rows of stitches 36 and 39: thus a o forming, inefiect, under the instep or arch of the foot, two wed e shaped pockets,either of which is adapte to receive a removable correspondinglywedge-shaped insert or filling member, as 42.

The pocket is shown as arranged under the heel and is formed by thestitches 37 and 38 which convergefrom the lateral marginal edges of theinsole, which edges together with the back ofthe insole arenon-stitched. The heel can thus be built up at any side orplace by aninsert or filling member, such as 43,

adapted thereto.

It will be observed that the two pockets- 40, 40 open into each other atabout the lon-v gitudinal center of the insole, and that this is truealso of the other pairs of pockets. The filling members when insertedinto their respective pockets, that is, from either side of the insole,will preferably extend from the marginal edge of the insole across thelongitudinal center of the insole and hence will extend partway into theother pocket. While it is preferable to have different filling membersfor the several pockets 40,. 50 and 60, yet it will not be a departurefrom the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the sub- %oinedclaims, to use the same filling member or the several ockets,if such becapable of. serving a usefu purpose in the several places at which suchpockets are located.

It will not be imagined that the necessities of any particular wearerwill require the use of insertsor fillin members at more than one placeat a'time, ut it will be observed that as herein embodied, the insolehas provision whereby it is adaptable to any peculiarity. For example,if the wearer has a tendency to throw his ri ht foot forward and wearout the sole of hiss oe at its outside front edge, and

by the strain thusproduced upon the foot cause callousvor corns todevelop by inserting the insert or filling member 41 inthe ocket fromthe corresponding side of the inso e, the

foot of the wearer is thrown toward'the other side, the pressure uponthe skin relieved and the corn or callous soon caused to disappear.

'sole illustrated Similarly if the tendency is such that the sole hasgreater wear imposed jon itslinside front edge, it can'be corrected byplacing the insert or' filling member in the side of said pocket 40opposite to that hereinbefore mentioned. Again, if the wearer of a shoefinds that the arch of the foot needs an extra support, the

insert 42 may be placed in the pocket 50, provided for that purpose, andat either side thereof, thus furnishing the support required. In asimilar manner, the wedge 43 may be inserted in the pocket 60 at theheel of theinner sole, from either side thereof. The location of thesepockets in the forms of inner erein are merely suggestive. It is"obvious that by varying the position of the stitches employed to unitethe lower and intermediate layers of the sole, pockets may be formed atany desired place along the edge of the sole for the reception of anappropriate insert or filling member, and while I prefer the form hereinillustrated, yet it is not to be understood that the invention in allrespects is restricted thereto.

The inserts or filling members 41, 42 and 43 are not only wedge-shapedby reason of having converging lateral sides, but, as herein shown,their top and bottom surfaces also relatively approach each-othertowardthe inner end; that is to say, they are suitably so formed as tobe thinner as well as narrower at their inner than at their outer ends.In use, each will preferably extend to or slightly beyond thelongitudinal center of the inner sole. These inserts or filling membersare preferably made of soft rubber, felt, cork, or somesimilar softelastic material. They also preferably are of no great thicknesswhereby, in connection with their removability from the pockets, thelayers of the insole may be approximately of the same size and thus liesmoothly upon each other when the inserts or filling members areremoved; thus adaptinsole for use without theinserts,

ing the thus described the invention what Having I believe to be new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:, V

. 1. An inner sole comprising a plurality of layers secured together andhaving between the .same a substantially wedge shaped pocket which isopen along the contiguous marginal edge of the inner sole, and aremovable substantially wedge-shaped filling memher for said pocket. I

2. An inner sole comprising a plurality of layers secured together andhaving between the same a plurality of pockets which are open at theopposite marginal edges of the inner sole and are narrowed toward thelongitudmal center of the same, and a removable substantially wedgeshaped filling memher which is adapted to either of said pockets.

3. Aninner sole, comprising a plurality of layers transversely stitchedtogether, said stitches comprising a plurality of pairs of lines whichconverge from the marginal edge of the inner sole toward thelongitudinal center of the same so as to form a plurality of tudinalcenter of the insole, and each of which is narrowed toward said center,and removable wedge-shaped filhng members for said pockets.

5. An inner sole, comprising a plurality of.

layers stitched. together to form separate pockets which are arrangedalong the length of the insole and are open along the marginal edges ofthe latter, said stitches extending in a series of lines, some of whichconverge to- Ward the longitudinal center of the insole from oppositesides thereof and are arranged at the ball portion of the insole, othersof which similarly converge at opposite sides of the longitudinal centerof the instep portion of the insole, and others of which extend from oneto the other marginal edge'oi' the heel portion of the insole, andremovable lilling members for said pockets.

6. "An inner sole comprising a plurality of layers secured together andprovided hetween said layers with a pocket which is open along themarginal edge of the insole, and a removable filling member which isadapted to said pocket and is thicker at its outer than at its inneredge.

7. An inner sole comprising a plurality of layers secured together andprovided between said layers with a pocket which is open along themarginal edge of the insole and narrows thence toward the longitudinalcenter of the insole, and a removable substantially wedge shaped'Iilling member which is adapted to said pocket, said "filling memberbeing thicker at its outer than at its inner edge and narrower at itsinner edge than at its outer edge.

8. An inner sole comprising an upper layer, a lower layer and anintermediate layer, said intermediate layer formed of yieldable materialand secured at intervals to'one of the other layers to form between thema pocket which is open along the'marginal edge of the insole, and aremovable wedge-shaped filling member adapted to said pocket.

9. An inner sole comprising an upper layer, a lower layer and anintermediate layer, said intermediate layer formed of yieldable materialand secured at intervals to one of the other layers to form between thema pocket which is open along the marginal edge of the insole, and aremovable filling member adapted to said pocket and thicker at its outerthan its inner edge.

10. An inner sole comprising an upper layer and an intermediate layer,said intermediate layer formed of yieldable material and secured atintervals to one of the other layers by converging diagonal lines 01stitches which are relatively arranged to form a plurality of pocketswhich are open along the contiguous ed es of the insole ,and

narrow thence toward t e longitudinal center of the insole and have openinner ends contiguous to each other, and a removable correspondinglynarrowing fillin member which is adapted to either ofsaid pockets and isthicker at its outer than at its inner ed e.

in testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BENJAMIN NATHAN.

